Browsing Tag

Compassion

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Stressed is Blessed…

Posted on October 12, 2023

Some days are just so crazy….You can’t accomplish much.

You ought to call a lonely sister, just to keep in touch. 

There’s someone with dementia who’s living life alone

And there’s a college student, being faithful on her own.

You need to visit the widow who sits just down the pew.

And help the mom who brings five kids. She does look up to you.

There’s Charlie, who’s a visitor and Sam, who’s homeless now.

You’ve planned to stop at the nursing home, but, oh…you don’t know how!

You juggle items on your list. So much is left undone. 

You try to be six places, but you barely cover one.

 

And every woman reading this, while rushing…running late…

To fill needs and plates and babies’ mouths….Each woman can relate. 

But if she’s made it to the Word and bowed her soul in prayer

She’s done the most important thing. The rest will still be there. 

So when the clock is chasing and the needs outrun resources, 

Remember that He’s ever-present and the best recourse is

To recognize the refuge…From the rush that is your foe.

In every anxious time of stress, to just be still and know. 

                                                                               c. colley

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Spikes through Unwashed Feet (…and Bennington, Vermont Update)

Posted on June 4, 2020

Today, a sweet sister who lost her home in a recent tornado brought lunch to our family at my daughter’s home.  She’s living in a rental right now and trying to figure out what all has been lost and what may have been salvaged. She’s not a member of the congregation where my daughter worships. She has an infant herself and she traveled several miles from a nearby town to make the delivery. 

As I explained all of this to Ezra and Colleyanna, I asked them what it is that makes people love enough to reach out and help others even when they are hurting themselves. Even they knew the answer. “She wants to be like Jesus.” 

They are right. He prayed for the unity of His followers in God the Father and Son, when Father and Son were facing at Calvary the great “forsaking” that would facilitate that fellowship (Matthew 27:46).  He washed the disciples’ feet, while the feet through which the spikes were to be nailed, went unwashed at that Passover dinner (John 13:1-17). He replaced the severed ear of the One who came at Him with the sword (John 18:10-11). He was the One, hanging by the spikes on the tree, who said “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34). He provided for His mother’s physical care from a hilltop at which no one was providing for His own. He, in the truest sense, taught us to “overcome evil with good,” (Romans 12:21). He conquered the evil one by the goodness of placing himself on the sacrificial altar and rising from the tomb. 

In 2020, we have some extra opportunities to share the goodness. There are, perhaps, more hurting people this year, in our country, than there have been or will be in the current century. We have the light of life in us, as Christians, and it’s a prime time for us to diligently place that light on the outside of the bushel’s darkness and be the city on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14,15). That’s what the sweet sister was doing at my daughter’s door this morning. Helping from a place of hurt. Shining through a time of darkness, Reaching from a place of desperation. I want to be more like her in this amazing time of opportunity. 

And, speaking of this, I want to share below a letter I received from my friend who is the preacher’s wife at the congregation in Bennington, Vermont. A while back, I posted about this discouraged group of Christians and you responded (https://thecolleyhouse.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=13175&action=edit). You sent light and sweet fellowship through the USPS and it has made a positive impact. 

Here’s what she said: 

Hello! I just wanted to thank you again so much for that blog post a couple of months ago. Each of our church members on my list received 15-20 cards, and they appreciated them so much. One of our families tried to thank every single card sender individually (a few didn’t have return addresses), leading to one of your blog readers sending the family’s kids some paper and an art set! That same family also is in touch by email and regular mail with at least 3 of the card senders. The encouragement has been phenomenal.

In addition, one of the members on my list, Mitt, was living in a rehab center, forbidden to visit his family, and his family was able to deliver cards to the staff to give to him so he could still be encouraged. He passed away this week somewhat unexpectedly, at the age of 93, a faithful Christian until the end. Alan and Jen, two other people on my list, are his son and daughter-in-law, so an extra dose of encouragement was good to help build them up for this experience too.

Is there any way you can convey our thanks as a congregation? As a footnote on a blog post, maybe? There were so many cards sent that we just couldn’t keep up! What a wonderful problem to have!pastedGraphic.pngpastedGraphic_1.png

Also, please keep praying for our congregation. Out of our group of 30-35 members/somewhat regular attendees and their close relatives, there have been two people with heart attacks, one who was hospitalized with what was expected to be a heart attack, and two deaths (one was Mitt, the other a church member’s mom). Of course, all of these situations are miserable right now because of our continued stringent Covid restrictions (despite having zero confirmed Covid hospitalizations in our entire state right now). I know we share these burdens with congregations worldwide, but as a small group, we don’t usually have so much going on at one time.

Thanks again!pastedGraphic_2.png

So thank you from me, too. What a great time to be His! What a great application for those of us who are studying the compassion and confirming the deity of our Lord in the book of John this month. I love you, sisters!

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Family Ties in the Social Distance #32: Proverbs 13:25–Being Satisfied

Posted on April 28, 2020

My husband, Glenn, is sharing these daily lessons  for our West Huntsville family as we are necessarily (because of the virus) spending less time physically together in worship, study and fellowship. We may be “socially distanced,” but  we’re a close-knit family and we want to keep it that way! One way to stay on track together, spiritually, is to think about a common passage and make applications for our lives together even when we are unable to assemble as frequently. I’m sharing these daily family lessons here for those in other places, whose families (or even congregations) might benefit from a common study in these uncommon days of semi-quarantine. There are Family Bible Time guides included, as well. You can adapt, shorten or lengthen them according to the ages of kids (and adults) in your family. Blessings.

From Glenn:      

My Favorite Proverbs: Being Satisfied (Prov.13:25). 

“The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.”

Look at today’s proverb from two perspectives:

First, ultimately God will bless the righteous, but not the wicked.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6).  The judgment day scene will involve both kinds of people:

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… ““Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:34, 41).

Second, the righteous learn the secret of contentment.  Paul wrote

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11-13). 

This is contentment with what we have.  This passage wouldn’t prohibit my wanting to do better, or my striving for excellence, but rather it insists that I can be content NOW.  Sadly, those years I spend wishing things were different, may turn out to the be the best years of my life.  

We all know the twenty-third Psalm which includes, “…my cup runs over…” (Psa. 23:5).  How much of that wonderful emotion has to do with a healthy view of God’s great blessings in my life and resisting comparisons of myself with others who have more material goods?

I’ve often appreciated the spirit of Esau (who obviously had his faults) when he finally came face to face with his younger twin, Jacob. Jacob offered him a great gift of livestock as an appeasement for bygone wrongs.  Esau declined the gift and said, “I have enough” (Gen. 33:9).  

Today, pray a well considered prayer in which you ask for nothing; a prayer simply to count your blessings in gratitude to the One who gave them.

Family Bible Time with Glenn and Cindy:

Tonight, take the time to watch this video, created for a Lads to Leaders entry by some of the young folks at the West Corinth church in Corinth, Mississippi. I think your kids (of all ages) will enjoy it. Then discuss the long-suffering nature of the father in the parable and compare Him to the heavenly Father. Discuss how very much David needed/wanted the grace of this Father.

Mention also that it’s a great thing when we can teach the Bible though role-playing. We’re grateful to many children and teens who are frequently doing this.

Pray with your children.

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Coronavirus: Moving the Decimal…

Posted on March 13, 2020

U.S. Coronavirus deaths per day since March 1: 2.900

U.S. Intentional womb deaths per day since Mar. 1:  2900    

You have to move the decimal three places to the left for the virus. A decimal move is a big mathematical jump. The number in the first line  is relatively miniscule. But they are vulnerable and they are people, so we do care. We don’t want to be reckless as we plan our lives.

But the daily deaths in line 2 are deaths of people who are vulnerable, too. And those deaths are 1,000 times more per day. And that tally did not begin on March 1.

Where’s the panic? Where’s the real application of the word recklessness?

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Replacing the Calendar Again

Posted on January 9, 2020

When I hang a new calendar, looking over the spent and tattered one I’m putting in that file cabinet…the cabinet that now has a stack of gridded sheets that represent the business, the slammed schedules, the birthday parties, the travel. as well as the mundane housecleaning, cabin cleaning, and mending days of the past year, I always try and think about the big picture. Every little square in that twelve page card stock and pocketed book that I’m filing away was a day of movement. Every square was movement toward heaven or away from it. We live sadness and hope. We live purpose and appointments. We live fun and fervor. But we never live static. Each turn of the page is a progression toward eternity. What makes each square so precious is that one square will be the last one. 

…Which makes me think about empathy. With the passage of time in each of our lives, our experiences multiply. I mean, I used to have no clue about grandparenthood. (Who are all these crazies who are obsessing over a dimple or the color of a baby’s hair?) Now I know. I fully empathize because my realm of experience grew. That happened on one of the squares in 2014. I used to come up short in the empathy department for those who were caring for elderly parents. Not any more. That happened slowly on lots of squares in the past ten or so calendar records. Experiences have simply broadened my scope of empathy. It was never that I didn’t have sympathy for those in the sandwich generation. But empathy is a whole different thing. Empathy is what make you give grace and truly feel WITH another who is experiencing something you’ve known firsthand. Remember, empathy is what makes our Lord the GREAT high priest that He is. We do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Rather, we have one who has been tried in every point, just like we are tried, yet He did it without sin (Heb. 4:15). Empathy qualifies him to be my mediator and I am so thankful for His divine empathy. 

On that page, let me list a few scenarios of which I will not be critical this year. Experiences produce empathy. Empathy produces grace. So here:

  1. I will not criticize young mothers who are struggling in worship services to make toddlers behave. 
  2. I will not criticize young families who are occasionally late for Bible class.
  3. I will not criticize young moms who show up for Bible class on Wednesday night in jeans and a milk-stained t-shirt. 
  4. I will not criticize older people whose eyes occasionally close and whose head sometimes inadvertently bows during the sermon on Sunday.
  5. I will not criticize bragging grandmothers.
  6. I will not criticize grandmothers who buy too many baby clothes.
  7. I will not criticize the careful choices made by children about the care of aged parents.
  8. I will not criticize the families of faithful elders and preachers about matters of judgment.
  9. I will not criticize people who occasionally cry in public–people who others may classify as “emotional basket cases.”
  10. I will not criticize the eating and exercise habits of busy people.
  11. I will not criticize those who do not take every call at the moment it comes.
  12. I will not criticize busy people who lose keys, phones, glasses and other essentials frequently and who sometimes forget appointments.

There’s a little list of a few of the many decisions that experience has helped me make. Experience is my friend. Gray strands are my teachers. I know that our realms of empathy are not all the same. But the world might be a gentler place if we allowed the scenarios  and circumstances we’ve faced to teach us grace. Notice that I did not say “indifference to sin.” We have to care deeply about what grieves God. But empathy makes us also care deeply about the “infirmities” of His people. Experience makes us keenly aware that we might not know details that are crucial in decisions being made by others. Empathy makes us better people.  

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Abortion and the “Christian” Smoke Screen

Posted on January 28, 2019

The more I think about it the more it bothers me that some who claim allegiance to the Lord are critical of those of us who are vocal about the unconscionable decision made in New York to legalize all abortions through the entire gestation period and extending beyond birth to those babies who survived attempted abortion procedures. They say things like “Christians should not speak against abortion until they are willing to provide care for the many young and expectant mothers and the innocent babies after their births,” or Christians have no right to protest abortion until they are making sure there are safe places in society for unwanted babies.” 

This is a smokescreen and the devil loves it. I know a host of people who oppose abortion and I do not know one single person who opposes it because of an alliance with a political party. In fact, every single person I know who is fighting for life is motivated by a heart of compassion for innocent life; the natural feeling of pity for anyone, but especially an innocent child who finds herself in a position of desperation and helplessness. It is the strong desire within us that we cannot silence even if we wanted to…the desire to protect anyone who is innocent and cannot protect himself. 

And it is that kind of compassion that controls all of our impulses and activities. Why would anyone believe that those people who fight against the killing are not the same people who extend benevolence and kindness, generosity and concern in our communities in other scenarios in which people are in need? It’s only common sense that the folks who are fighting for those who cannot help themselves are also the first responders in situations about them when people are suffering. 

Let me just illustrate this point with a family that I know personally. This family consists of two parents who have been very outspoken in defense of pre-born life. These parents are currently trying to place multiple pre-born babies. They personally have been through the adoption process up to the point of bringing the child home, when the birth mother decided to keep the baby at the last moment.  They were supportive, then, of this mother’s decision. They have helped, recently, to find a home for a foster child with a disability and that child has been successfully placed. They have recently helped find a home for a foster child with a disability and that child has been successfully placed. These parents  raised their two children, who are now adults, to speak and write in various venues about the sanctity of life. One of their children established a chapter of National Right to Life on his university campus and raised money for pro-life causes through that venue, while he also raised money for already born children with diseases and volunteered in the school system in his area where children in poverty attended.   One of the now adult children volunteers regularly at a pregnancy clinic for unwed mothers. The other is actively working at present to find homes for three pre-born children. All of the members of this family take advantage of opportunities when they are presented to provide funding for children in foster care homes and children’s homes. Their contributions to their churches are often used for the purpose of helping disadvantaged children, as well. They contribute to food banks, school drives for children in need and  Christmas gifts for children in foster care. 

See, compassionate Christians are compassionate in all situations. It is true that those who fight abortion cannot personally care for every child born in a situation of poverty or disadvantage. But that obvious fact should not deter us from preventing their murder!  I’m not an expert in philosophy, but even I can think this through….Just because I cannot personally rescue the thousands who are victims of human trafficking, take them under my wing and restore each one to mental and social well-being, does not mean I should be silent as they are victimized, or worse, be okay with their “elimination.” 

May God help us when people who are called by His name attempt to silence—even mock— those among us who are defending innocent life; when “Christians” add their voices to the wicked throng in support of death for our most vulnerable. What must the Father think when unworthy people He once adopted are, arguably, effectively consenting to murder by criticizing those Christians who are fighting for life?